The Penn's Grove record., 1887-09-24
MR.. BRANDT'S WEDDING.

MR.. BRANDT'S WEDDING.
1t was the old situation "a situation
not unheard Of in fiction. and common
enough for that matter in real life-a
beautiful girl with two lovers. one mid
ile-aged and wealthy, favored by the
ylrl's father; the other, a youngster
and poorer man, favored by the girl
herself. 1t is always the younger man
who gets the girls ear in these cases,
and It is always the m~iddle-aged man
who secures papa's interest-probably
because If he were not able to do SO he
would be out of the running altogether.
The only peculiarities in the present
case were that the girl was particularly
pretty and the middle-aged sutton par
ticularly Objectionable. Kate Thomp-
son was sure that Mr.. Brandt ore a
wig, and that was the least of his enor-
mites. He was a German, as his
name betokened, and he was fat, fair
and forty. He was well off or papa
would not have anything to say for him
indeed he was something more than
we'll off. I Schmitz, Brandt & Hern.
blatt we're bankers. morey.changers,
commission agents and a great many
things besides, and they p~rospered as
Germans do somehow prosper, even in
this over. populated country.
Joseph Thompson, who traded all by
himself under the style of Thompson
& Co.." was a very much smaller man,
and he felt considerably pleased when
the wealthy German banker began TO
pay his addresses to his daughter. If
beauty only were considered in these
matters, as In the old faIry-tale days,
Kate Thompson might have married a
prince. Her mother had been a lady,
and she had given her child a share of
her highly organized nature as well as
Of her beauty. Kate always appeared
among girls of her own rank like a
princess in disguise.
This at least was the opinion of Mr..
Frederick Winter. In his capacity of
friend of Miss Thompson's brother
Tom, young Winter had the right of
admission to Mr. ~Thompson's house;
and this privilege he used so well that
while Herr Brandt was opening his
eyes to the fact that his friend Thomp-
sons daughter was a remarkably fine
girl. Fred had already advanced a
long way IN Kate's good opinion. 1t
80 happened that Winter was one of
the clerks in Brandt's office, but neither
Fred nor his employer knew that the
other was acquainted with the object
Of bis admiration.
1t was not till after a regular period
of bouquet-presenting and compliments
that Mr.. Brandt made his proposal,
and great was his establishment when
he found that Kate refused him. AT
first he would not believe that such a
thing was possible, and took, or ar
fected to take, the girls timid words as
merely the effect of maidenly coyness,
not to be understood seriously.
"Oh no, my dear young lady, you do
not mean it; you are taken by surprise,
perhaps; you want time to reflect. l
Will speak of this again-say next
week."
'lndeed, you are mistaken, Mr..
Brandt" said Kate, with more spirit.
81 respect you very much as papa's
friend, but l cannot marry you. Please
let us say no more about the matter"
And with these words the girl cleverly
escaped from the room and closed the
door behind her.
A remarkably ugly look came over
the Germans face at this moment.
"Sohl My fine messl we-shall-
yeei' be exclaimed through his teeth.
His first care was to seek out Kate's
father ands lay the matter before him.
Thompson, poor man, was nightly
disturbed. He saw that the banker was
seriously offended, and he knew he was
a dangerous man to offend. So, as the
readiest way out of the difficulty, he
made light of his daughters decision,
said she was certain to change her
mind, and added that her judgment
was disturbed by a little Irritation she
had been carrying on with a young fell
lew called Winter. but he would see
that was put a stop to.
"Winter!' echoed the banker. 81
have a young man of that name in my
office. 1t cannot be he. surelyp No,
no; it would be too absurd"
Upon my word / can't say, but l
think it very likely. I'll ask Tom"
Tom could not deny that his friend
and Messrs. Schmitz, Brandt u Hern-
blatt' IS junior-assistant ledger clerk were
the same man, and the banker soon
proceeded to sweep the unlucky young
clerk out of his way. He dismissed
young Winter the next morning with a
months salary, without assigning any
reason, and SEM him to join the great
melancholy army Of the unemployed.
Mr.. Brandt waited a few weeks and
then renewed the assault. BY this time
Thompson had had several inter-
views with his daughter without any
satisfactory result.
mo, / can never marry Fred, papa,
especially now that he has lost his
situation," said Kate, all flushed and
te~ar-stained, Ter hair rumpled and her
collar awry, shut as for marrying that
odious fat German, | would rather take
poison myself.n Upon which the little
who was the head of the house of
Thompson groaned aloud, and looked
to his interview with the ban
ker with no small trepidation.
.'I'm afraid it's no use, MI. Brandt"
be said, as he faced the German IN his
own dinlng-room a week or two after
word. "I've talked to her and done
my best to reason with her. and it's all
no good. L don't think she fancIes a
foreigner-no offence to you; and |
imagine she is still thinking of that
young fellow Winter. IL was a mis-
take to turn him of, you know"
Mr.. Thompson glanced at his guest
as he ceased speaking and gave an in
start. He was fairly shocked
at the look of suppressed fury depicted